Employable Me - Louisa 

Same impression here. And most of them are fired some months after the documentary was screened on TV

I feel this too. 2 months ago, I somehow nailed a job interview at a Activities day Centre for people with profound disabilities. About a week later I had to fill in a application for and I mentioned my Aspergers to them. Then over the next week when I was doing training. I noticed the employers attitude was a little different and the Director insulted me in front of two other girls, she called me jittery and slow. The other girls made some mistakes and I realise I made a mistake too. But compared she made a big deal out of me saying the word “Check” twice. And then said the other girls are much better then myself. I put this all down to nothing though. Then I came in for a trial shift and I had a meeting with one of the Managers. They then started to mention the Aspergers and said that despite my past experience working with disabled people, they told me that I may struggle to cope with the role. And then started telling me horror stories of past employees with mental health conditions etc. In addition they promised me they would contact me to come in for another training day. But then got a very quick phone call saying it was cancelled. However found out it wasn’t. After the girl I met on induction texting me why I wasn’t at the training. Ever since I’ve been trying to ring them but had no answer. I even tried to come directly to the building and they wouldn’t even answer the door to me when they saw me through the window. To be honest I’m in complete disbelief. If I hadn’t even mentioned it, they would probably be fine with me. They just didn’t want the risk of taking Someone one with a disability like mine. 1. They disregarded my experience and good references, 2. They they used Someone with mental health conditions to get their point across when Aspergers is not a mental disorder. They are a bunch of idiots.

Sarah A i am SO sorry they did this to you. My own experience is to not mention disabilities... I am bipolar, and even when I mention it to people who I am befriending they just cut me off. They think I’m crazy. I find this is the case with most mental health issues, people thinking that people with MHI are somehow awful, crazy, stupid... and so on... people are so disappointing. They say to be honest and upright about things, but when you share things they turn you off anyway...

Sarah A I've had mixed feelings about whether or not I should tell a prospective employer about my Asperger's. I was diagnosed at the end of 2017, just before my 53rd birthday. Early detection is key! My therapist says that I should never tell them, because it's none of their business. In America, people with Asperger's have an unemployment rate of around 90%. By comparison, I asked someone I know who runs a business. She said that if I were to apply and get a job, and then it comes up after-the-fact, then I'll have a hard time because I did not disclose the issue up-front. I've decided on the former, and will not be telling any of them. This is because I have come to the conclusion, based on experience, that nobody wants me there, as it is. The last thing they're going to do is anything resembling accommodation, which I don't ever ask for. They also will not offer up any respect, which is all I've ever wanted. As I get older, all of this gets tougher. I've considered dying more than a few times. "Don't give up" is no longer good enough. I need a job that pays an adult wage and insurance. Dignity. It's all that I ask, and the world so far has been telling me that I'm being unreasonable.

+Sarah A I hope you got some legal advice on this. Usually you get the job offer then Occupational Health contact you to make sure of any health issues, whether you mention it or not is up to you but I think there are conditions where an employer does not like a disability sprung on them later into getting the post. It can be seen as deceptive (which when your desperate could be the only way!) but also I think there might be issues with the employers insurance. But Im no specialist, but you get into some legal advice from Citizens Advice.

This is a really good comment, thank you.

Unfortunate nobody wants to employ us. What matters most is always communication ability.

I myself have Asperger's Syndrome. I also have Cerebral Palsy. Yes, I have a 4-year degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, but All I have been doing since 1978 is being unemployed. I only had employment for short periods of time. Anyway, the last 12 years I have been on SSDI. I just turned 60 last month.

I myself have Asperger's Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, and I am 60 years old. I have a 4 year degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, and my career was shit and minimal at best. I am on Social Security permanently.

Check out my 2 vids on aspegers if interested about it

Very well put.

It's still crippling because you can't make bonds with people, you can't cope with stress, you drop everything that gets too challenging. It's a NIGHTMARE when you turn into an adult.

I have aspergers myself and I would probably say yes. I'm in uni now but it's getting to hard and I hated my previous jobs. Can't cope with stress and office politics. Too much to handle. It depends on the individual obviously, but I answer for people in general.

+Patrick Mendoza who?

Same here friend. I am a 60 year-old with Asperger's Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy and a 4 year degree in Electronics Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Most of my adult life, I have been unemployed.

@@tommyw8576 The only thing that matters in the job market is communicating and being liked. Actually being able to do the job barely matters at all in comparison.

A genius in that area yes.

Completely useless as you can clearly see.

Daniel Wells you’re an idiot shut up please

@@danielwells774 that was completely uncalled for.

@@alhill7026 Yeah, the sheer hatred is something I'll never understand. Where does it come from? Why do they think they need to express it?

I just spoke about that to my therapist who has an autistic son. She says Autistic children have speech delays and are so unresponsive they might seem deaf. Whereas Asperger's have sensitive hearing and are quite talkative. I can hear a pin drop a mile away and the only person I met to talk more than me is another Asperger (through out a 2 hr road trip).

I have aspergers as well, as autism is now a spectrum mental condition, we usually tend to be on the higher intelligence end of the spectrum, we can look like a normal person from the outside, that is until someone were to get to know us or a more personal level. We often tend to good in certain subjects relevent to our interests like sciences and technology or simple things other normal people dont get into that we could also talks for hours on end about, we also have more sensitive senses like to bright lights or sounds and pain. that and its the whole interactivity with other people with in a nutshell for most of us is incredibly hard to perceive.

This is from the consultants on a panel on autism (experts) who diagnosed my autistic toddler as having autism: “those persons with Asperger’s Syndrome has autism plus an IQ that is at least average (between 90 and 110) or way beyond. Those with Classic Autism have both autism and ‘intellectual’ disability with an exceptionally low IQ that is less than 70” [or 75 in sports classification]. As a side point, there are then those who fall between 75 and the average IQ, like say, in the 80s, and this is very unfortunate, as local councils do deny them support on the basis that they are [so-called] less needy. In short, by definition, a person with Asperger’s Syndrome will never have ‘intellectual’ disability [this is unfortunately, badly titled and confusingly called ‘learning disability’ in the UK] even though they may have learning ‘difficulties’ such as dyslexia or dyscalculia.

Simply put: Asperger’s means that you lack the right brain hemisphere; Autism means that you lack the left hemisphere. But Asperger’s’s not a real diagnosis anymore, except in a few countries, so both are now considered to be under the umbrella of autism spectrum ‘disorder’ (ASD).

If you know of any specifically, can you please list them? Or is there a registry of such organizations? If you do know, it might be helpful to others. :)

Yep